Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of WHO, has defined air pollution as "the new tobacco" because it "is poisoning millions of children".
According to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO), 600,000 children died in 2016 from acute respiratory infections caused by contaminated air. According to the report, 93% of children under the age of 15 in the world (about 1,800 million children) breathe toxic particles, harming their health and growth. Children are the most affected because they breathe more quickly than adults, ingesting a greater amount of contaminants, and because they are closer to the ground, where the concentration of these particles is higher.
Worldwide, 91% of all inhabitants live in a polluted air, which increases the risk of cancer to the lungs, stroke and heart disease. The WHO indicated that 1 in 8 people die as a result of exposure to air pollution. The specific diseases attributed to air pollution are listed below:
- 40% Ischemic heart disease
- 40% Stroke
- 11% Chronic obstructive pneumopathy
- 6% Lung cancer
- 3% Acute infection of the lower respiratory tract in children.
Deaths due to indoor air pollution:
- 34% Stroke
- 26% Ischemic heart disease
- 22% Chronic obstructive pneumopathy
- 12% Acute infection of the lower respiratory tract in children
- 6% Lung cancer
The main causes of air pollution are:
- Industry
- Transport
- Forest fires
- Radiation
- Aerosol sprays
Therefore, air pollution has been called an "invisible killer", since 7 million people die each year due to its effects on health. With the aim of counteracting the negative effects of atmospheric pollution, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) -conformed by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and 54 countries - They have launched the Breathe Life initiative. A program that aims to halve the number of deaths related to air pollution before 2030.
Source: OMS